Self-closing and controlling means for doors



B. SPITZFADEN.

SELF CLOSING AND CONTROLLING MEANS FOR DOORS. IAPPUCATION FILED SEPT- 30, 1920.

ELAQEAWK Pawni d uly 18, 11922.

2 SHEEI S--SHEET I.

36 ATTORNEYS B. SPITZFADEN.

SELF CLOSING AND CONTROLLING MEANS FOR DOORS.

19::25E239467fl APPLICATION FILED SEPT-30, 1920, 189

INVENTOR [if ll will SELF-CLOSING AND CONTROLLING MEANS FOR DOORS.

eas es,

specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 30, 1920. Serial No. 413,839.

T 0 all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that l, Bnnrrrrnnn Srrrzrnnnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city ofllew York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Self-Closing and Controlling Means for Doors, of which the following is a de scription.

My invention relates to self-closing doors, such for example as elevatordoors and means to control the door-closing means, the invention being adapted to be employed either for closing a single door or sectional door,

The nature of the invention, itsdistinctive features and advantages can best be stated in connection with the description of practical embodiments thereof as hereinafter given; 7

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specifi cation, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of practical examples of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of devices.

embodying my invention, showing the same employed in connection with a single sliding Figure 4 is a front elevation of" devices embodying my invention applied to a sectional door, the door sections being shown in the open position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure d but showing the sectional doors inthe closed positions.

The letter A. indicates a doorfran1e; l3, a

sliding door; C, a fixed doonpanel; D, a

track rail above the doors; and E, hangers for'door B provided with rollersF traveling on rail D, said parts being of any approved form.

Referring first more particularly to the construct on shown in Figure 1, the numeral 10 indicates a vertically disposed guide bar which in the form of the invention, Figure 1, 1s fixedly secured to the door frame A as by bracket plates 11. A sleeve 12 is slidable on the guide bar 10 and pivoted thereto as at 13 is one end of a door closing lever 14. the opposite end of which has means at fording a fulcrum forsaid lever on door B. In the illustrated form the lever let is fulcr-urned as at 15 on a plate 16 secured in any suitable manner to sliding door B.

The lever 1% is formed with a latch projection 19 below the fulcrum 15, the pro vision of which projection 19 gives said lever the form of a bellcrank and the projection coacts with a latch as hereinafter described. To the lever 14L, slightly distant from fulcrum 15, is suitably secured by brazing or otherwise, one end of a spring 21 which advantageously may, as shown, he a flat-coil spring. The opposite end of said spring is secured as at 22 to the plate 16 or otherwise fixedly secured to the door B.

A latch 23 is provided adjacent to the projection 19' and has a notch 2s adapted to receive the pointediend of said projection for holding the lever 14 againstmovernent when the door B is closed, thereby latching the door. Said latch member. 23 is formed as an arm of ajbellcrank lever 25 the other arm of which constitutes a handle for operating the device foropening the door, said handle having. a suitable hand grip 26 or the like. The numeral 27 indicates the fulcrum of the bellcrank latch lever 25, and 28 indicates I a spring here shown as a plate spring, bear- 14: to rise to the dotted line position of,

Figure 1.

With the above describedconstruction,.the door B being closed,.in orderto openthe door the hand grip 26 is graspedandlthe latch lever; 25' rocked. to disengage. the notched latch arm 23 thereon from the pros Patented July 1%, 122?.v

jection 19 of lever 14, thereby releasing said lever and permitting it to rock on its fulcrum 15. Pressure is now exerted on the lever in a direction to slide the door B to the open position. l/V hen the door B is released by the operator it will automatically close by the reaction of the spring 21 which will have been wound up by upward movement oi? the lever 14, as indicated by the dotted lines. Thus, in the reaction of the spring it will exert a pressure on the lever 14: causing said lever to move to the full line position of Figure 1, the action of the lever l t in its relation to the door B being similar to a toggle.

The illustrated door -cushioning means bearing the reference characters 32 to 39 forms no part of the invention claimed in this application.

In Figures 4 and 5 my invention is em ployed in connection with sliding door sections 13, B in so far as the parts in Fig ures 4 and 5 correspond with the first-described arrangement they bear the same identii'yingreterence characters. For operating the door sections B, B the guide bar 10 corresponding with bar 10 is secured as by brackets or straps 11 to the inner door sections B to slide therewith. The sleeve 12' corresponding generally with the sleeve 12 has secured thereto at the opposite side fromlever 14 a toggle link 42 which is pivoted at. its upper end as at 43 to said sleeve, the opposite lower end of link 42 being pivoted as at 4A to a bracket secured to the door frame A. In Figures 4 and 5 the "fulcrum 15 is conventionally shown as directly on the outer door section 3 The same is true of the fulcrum pin 27 of the latch lever 25.- Similarly, the springs 21. 28 have one end secured as at 22, 28 directly to the door section B When the latch lever 25 on door 13 is rocked to release the latch 28, from projection 19, the door section B may be slid toward the open position thereby causing the, lever 14 to move sleeve'12" up' wardly and causing the door section B to more also to the open position, the link 42 rocking on its pivots 1-3, 4 1. Thus, the parts will assume the positions shown in Figure l when the door sections are open.

It is to be noted that the lever M is not dead centered when the doors are closed and that said lever will always be in a'position to readily respond to an opening movement of the door B or door section B It is to be further noted thatthe lever 25 constitutes the means for releasing the latch arm 23 as. well as the handle for sliding the door or door section to the open position.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments-of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details "herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without depar ture from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A self-closing means for doors includ ing a vertical guide rod, a vertically sliding element thereon, a lever pivoted to said element and adapted to be pivoted at its opposite end to a door, and spring means exerting its pressure at one end on said lever and adapted at its opposite end to be secured to the door, said means normally tending to rock said lever in a direction to move the said lever for closing the door.

2. A door operating means including a lever adapted to be ttulcrumed on a door for closing the latter, guide means for the opposite end of the lever, and a spring exerting its pressure at oneend on said lever and adapted to be connected with the door and tending to move the lever in a direction to close the door.

3. A. door closing means including a lever adapted to he fulcrumed adjacent to an end thereof on a door for closing the latter, guide means for the opposite end of the lever, said lever having a latch member ad jacent to the fulcrum, and a latch adapted to he pivoted on the door adjacent to the fulcrumed end of the lever and having an arm to engage the latch projection. on the lever, said latch having a handle for rock ing the same and for use in moving the door to theopen position after release of the latch. I I r l. A door closing means including a lever having a latch projection giving the lever a bellcranlr form, said lever being adapted adj acent to said projection to be 'fulcrumed on a door for closing the latter, guide means for the opposite end of the lever, a latch for engaging said latch projection and adapted to be mounted on a door, and a coil spring exertingits pressure on said lever and to a relatively fixed part for imparting to the lever a door closing movement.

5. A. door operating means including a toggle lever adapted to be tulcrunied at one end on a door and mounted atits opposite end for pivotal and vertically sliding movement, a latch, and means tomount said latch on a door independently of said lever but in position to engage or disengage the lever adjacent to its fulcrum.

6. The combination with a sliding door of a vertical guide baradjacent to said door, a slide on said bar, a lever pivoted at one end to said slide and fulcrumed on said door in position to be inclined to said bar when the door is closed, and a latch adapted to be.

a slide on said bar, a lever pivoted at one end to said slide and fulcrumed on said door in position to be inclined to said bar when the door is closed, a spring acting on said lever tending to move the same for closing the door, said spring exerting its pressure one end on the lever and secured. at its opposite end to said door, and a latch adapted to engage or disengage said lever.

S. In means whereby to open or close a door, a substantially vertical guide, a slide on said guide, a lever aivoted at one end on said slide, and means to fulcrum said lever on a door to be disposed in all its po sitions at an angle to said guide; together with a spring exerting its pressure on said lever and adapted to be connected with the door to impart a closing movement to the door.

9. In means whereby to open or close a door, a substantially vertical guide, a slide on said guide, a lever pivoted at one end on said slide, means to fulcrum said lever on a door, a latch for said lever, a spring acting on said latch and tending to maintain it in latching engagement'with the lever, and a spring exerting its pressure on said lever and adapted to be secured to a door, said spring acting on said lever and tending to impart a door-closing movement thereto.

BERNHARD SPITZFADEN. 

